[amsat-bb] Re: TH-F6 Remote Control?

[John Mock KD6PAG]

It works just fine for me, thank you.  What's not documented is that when
you set it up SP/MIC JACK (menu #9) to "PC", the 'speaker' and 'mike'
lines (not shown in the F6A Manual) remain active.  So in "PC" mode, you
can send and receive audio as well as sending and receiving serial data
at TTL compatable levels.  So it sounds like it might be good for your
application.

So i have a TTL compatable serial interface in my USB/PIC rotor controller 
which uses a variant on the WB4APR Radio Shack rotor control circuitry),
which allows me to track satellites and adjust for doppler on a laptop.
Yes, i can use a LINUX terminal program (or the Windows equivalent) to
talk directly to the F6A at 9600bps.  But what i really use is an object-
oriented PERL module to control the F6A, and that modality also allows me
to 'predict' in server/client mode and thus lets me at least listen to
satellites 'hands-free'.  And i also use it to save and restore the state
of the radio -- much easier than entering all this stuff by hand (or via
a GUI).

It turns out the hard part is the cable, as i don't think the standard
programming cable passes audio. While the radio uses a 2.5mm connector,
the case mechanically interferes with plugs that i've gotten locally and
makes a rather unreliable connection.  I just got new 2.5mm connector
from Radio Shack that someone else on the 'Net mentioned and i'll have
to see if works better than those from my local supplier(s).

73's and good luck!
		       -- KD6PAG  (Networking Old-Timer, Satellite QRPer)


[Note:  I'll be in CM98, and try to be on AO-51 and SO-50 from Wednesday 
evening through Sunday morning if anyone needs it.  I still need DE, MA, 
IN and SC for WAS (but contacts from CM98 won't count for that).]